


Of Music and Meister

by Aki133



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Soul's POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-05-29 08:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6366772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aki133/pseuds/Aki133
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The events of Soul Eater from Soul's pov; focusing on why he left home and his growing fascination with Maka</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

The night was warm. Almost too warm but compared to the oppressive heat of day, the evening air was quite refreshing. Lights and music drifted over the city from Shibusen perched high above the buildings. The music was accented by the sounds of excited babble and laughter that became more audible as one drew closer to the unique school. The source of the excitement was a large ballroom with a huge open air balcony located about halfway up one of Shibusen's towers. It was a new year at the school and once again after the new students had a chance to get acquainted, a formal was held in this ballroom to officially welcome the newcomers. Students dressed to the nines mingled and laughed the night away while sharing the excitement of beginning their new lives. Most had already found their partners but this formal also served the dual purpose of allowing the stragglers to find their partners as well. 

Off to the side in the large white and black marble ballroom stood a beautiful black Grand Piano. On the matching bench sat a white-haired youth. He sat facing the instrument; his red eyes stared at the polished surface but didn't seem to see it. Soul Evans heaved a sigh and tried not to think about the irony he was drowning in. He had come to Shibusen to escape these exact two things and here he found himself faced with both again. The party had made him feel uncomfortable. It was so eerily similar to every other formal event he had been forced to attend that he had instinctively sought refuge with the only other thing in the room he was familiar with. This proved to be an unwise move as the majestic black polished wood seemed to stand as a monument to everything he was trying to leave behind.

Just this morning he thought he might finally be free of his first-class raising. The school officials had asked for his name and he was delighted to find he could put down anything he wished. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to know he was an "Evans" but he loved his first name, so, without hesitation, he put down 'Soul Eater', a new name for a new life. Or so he had thought. The day hadn't gone smoothly. It was full of awkward meetings and questions none of which resulted in a meister. What was worse was he seemed to already have a fan club of squealing ditzy girls. Even now he could feel their eyes boring into his back and hear their whispers even though he pretended not to notice.

Maybe it really was futile. Maybe he would never be able to escape. He Grit his shark-like teeth and resisted the uncool urge to pound his fists on the piano keys. Maybe he should go and get some air on the balcony… He swung around and was going to get up but instead found himself face to face with a girl; a girl he recognized. He had seen her around earlier in the day but they hadn't spoken. She startled him but he regained his composure quickly, determined to remain cool. In the short awkward silence he took the opportunity to get a good look at her. She was thin, lanky and had no chest to speak of. She didn't have much sex appeal, but she was captivating in her own way. She was wearing a white simple dress. It had a square neck and spaghetti straps and fell simply to her mid-calf where it was accented with a simple but elegant ruffle. Her hair was the color of tarnished gold and shone in the lamplight. It was pulled up into a pair of loosely curled pigtails that spiraled lazily to meet her shoulders. Her most striking feature was her eyes. They were big and innocent looking but also full of determination. What took his breath away was their color. They were a beautiful, shining forest green; a perfect compliment to his own crimson orbs. They stared at each other for a moment before she spoke.

"Hi. I'm Maka. I'm a meister.

"Soul Eater, weapon." Soul responded. He wasn't really sure why but he turned back to the piano. Something about this girl compelled him to play. "This is the kind of guy I am." Then he began to play. He played in the dark Gothic style that defined him so well. He poured his heart and soul into this one song. The song turned out so dark and foreboding it sent chills up his spine. When he was finished, he sighed and turned around again expecting the girl to be gone. To his surprise, she was still there. He gave her a bored look and waited patiently for her response.

"Wow. I don't really get it but I liked it." She said with a smile. Soul's jaw dropped. She had to be kidding. What was there to 'get'? This girl obviously had no clue about music… Perfect. Maybe there was still hope for his escape.

"I saw you practicing earlier today. You're a scythe, right?"

"Ya…"

"I'm going to make the most powerful Death Scythe ever. Would you like to be partners?" She asked while extending her hand. This was perfect. A meister who knew nothing about music and had a strong goal, this was just what he needed to leave his old life behind completely. The fact that she was pretty cute too was just another bonus.

"Sure, sounds cool." He said while taking her hand. Now his new life had truly begun.


	2. 2

A Year! An entire year of collecting souls wasted! All that work for nothing because of a damn CAT. So much work, so many fights, all in vain! Could this get any less cool?

Soul drove is motorcycle recklessly through the lamp-lit city, taking out his frustration on the cobble-stone streets. Maka held on tight behind him. Although she was silent he could feel the rage pulsing through her body and head that were buried determinedly in his back.

They had been throwing themselves hard into their work over the last few months, going on a mission almost every day over their summer. Soul was exhausted but he understood why Maka was so driven. Her parents had been fighting for months and a few weeks ago Maka's mother had finally gotten fed up and demanded a divorce. Maka said she was glad that her mother was finally taking steps for her own happiness. She once told Soul she thought that maybe it was because she was living with him now that Kami didn't feel as much like she had to keep the unhappy marriage intact for her sake.

Maka insisted she was happy for her mother and glad her father was getting what he deserved and perhaps that was true, but Soul knew better. He knew the divorce was tearing her apart inside but he wisely kept quiet and loyally went along with Maka's distractions. He didn't really mind the work too much either since being so busy did a wonderful job of distracting him from his own issues.

In an effort to distract himself, he thought over their fight with Blair. Without a doubt it had been their toughest battle to date. He cringed as it sank in that what they had seen wasn't anywhere near the power of a real witch. He would never admit it out loud but maybe he wasn't ready for that challenge after all. He shook his head in an effort to push away the unpleasant thought. When that didn't work he settled on focusing on other thoughts. Like the ultra cool way he had tricked and therefore defeated Blair!

Looking back, it probably wasn't such a good idea to pretend he was leaving Maka for Blair. Sure it was a brilliant and undeniably cool plan but she hadn't taken it well at all. He had no idea she'd care so much about him leaving. Meisters and weapons often had several partners over the span of their careers so why would this affect her so? This thought confused him further because it made his heart feel strangely warm and light. He pushed it away reassuring himself that he'd figure it out later.

*

Neither of them had said a word since their first angry outbursts and they rode the entire rest of the way home in complete silence. Soul was beginning to cool off as they pulled up to their apartment complex but Maka had not. She stormed up the stairs, unlocked the door to their apartment and immediately disappeared into her room, slamming the heavy wooden door behind her. Soul sighed after her and slowly closed the apartment door. He was so tired he didn't see the flash of purple hair slip into the small living space just before the door shut. He yawned and stretched as he trudged into his own room to prepare for bed.

Deep down, he felt he should feel angrier at losing a year of hard work. Of course their failure wasn't cool at all but there were positives. This meant there were one hundred more yummy souls to eat. Plus he could be with Maka for a bit longer. His heart beat a little faster at that thought although he wasn't sure why. He pushed the thought out of his head like the last one as he fell into bed, falling asleep the second his head met his pillow.

*

Soul woke slowly the next morning reluctantly leaving happy dreams of eating all the souls he wanted. With such a cool dream, today was defiantly going to be a cool day. But something felt strange. He thought for a moment with his eyes closed over what it could be. It was strangely quiet and peaceful… that was it. He had woken before his alarm clock. That is so not cool, waking up before he needs to. He could still be in dreamland eating souls. A light touch from something passed along his exposed arm. Soul jumped and his eyes snapped open. That is, he jumped as high as he could, being trapped beneath a sultry, barely clothed cat woman.

"Good mooorrrnniing, Soul!" The cat greeted in a sing-song voice.

"B-B-Blair!! Wh-what are you doing…?" Soul gasped out as he inched as far away as he could from the lusty woman, ramming his back painfully into his wooden headboard. It was no use. He was trapped.

"Maybe Soul would like to stay in bed and have some fun with Blair." She sang as she inched forward lowering her substantial breasts down on her unfortunate prey's face. He tried to yell, scream anything but he was suffocating.

"SOUL!" Blair broke away from his face just long enough to allow him a clear view of his furious meister. She looked so cute in her little lace apron and skull slippers but he didn't have long to dwell on this. He only just had enough time to mutter her name before she landed a solid dropkick on the side of his face.

"YOU JERK! HOW DARE YOU MOLEST HER?!" It was going to be a long day.


	3. 3

Maka. She was his only thought. Almost before he realized she was going to die he jumped in front of the demon blade shielding her with his own flesh. He felt sharp pain followed by a deep burning travel from the base of his right hip to his left shoulder. The slash was over in less than a second but Soul could see it cutting in agonizing slow motion within his mind's eye. A tiny moment later, consciousness left, leaving him to fall to the stone floor as a bloody and empty doll. Somewhere far away he could hear Maka screaming for him. It wrenched his heart to hear her, adding to the already crippling pain. *Run, Maka! Don't be stupid! Run away!* He thought desperately as he fought to make his mouth, which was hidden somewhere deep in the dark, to say the words. She was still in danger! If she didn't run, she'd die too! He was helpless to stop anymore. He listened as the sound of her sobbing faded in the distance.

He wasn't sure how long he remained in this world of darkness. All he knew was eventually he was brought from the nothingness to a world of pain and fear. Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance. Greatly comforted by the appearance of light, Soul tried to move towards this small glimmer of hope. As he approached his ears were once again assaulted by Maka's screams. Someone was hurting her! Soul tried to call to her out as he hastened his pace.*Hold on Maka! I'm coming*. Her screaming became more and more desperate as he drew nearer to the light, finally bursting forth into blinding light. When he looked around for Maka, the sight that confronted him filled his body with deepest horror. She was dead. Blood flowed from a huge tear in her stomach, a wound he was crawling out of. This time, the screams were his own.

*

He screamed and screamed, the sound of his voice bounced off the walls of his small recovery room and terrified Maka who sat by his side. He could hear her voice calling his name and he could feel her hand in his. He took deep gasps, attempting to calm himself and he squeezed Maka's had for reassurance. He opened his eyes as saw her sitting beside him, holding his had and looking at him with eyes full of worry. It had all been a dream… thank God. He tried to forget his fear long enough to give her a crooked smile.

"It's ok, Maka. Just a bad dream, that's all."

"Well that's good to hear." He tore his eyes away from his meister to see who had spoken. Evidently his screams had brought the nurse Medusa in to see what was wrong. She gave him a warm smile and continued.

"Just let me know if you need anything."

"Ok, thank you Medusa-Sensei." Maka called after her before turning back to Soul.

The next few hours passed too quickly and before he knew it, Maka had to leave for home. Soul deeply wished he could go too. Before she left, she offered to bring him anything he may need, anything at all. The more he reassured her that he was fine, the more depressed she seemed to become.

"Maka, I'm in this bed because of something I did not because of you. So please, don't worry." Soul said as comfortingly as he could. Her face fell further and she nodded before wishing him a good night and leaving him alone with only his thoughts for company. *Great, I just made her more depressed. Way to go, Soul!* he thought with disgust.

The room was quiet now. No sound even echoed down the Shibusen hallways adding to the uncomfortable silence. He shifted in his bed; the sound of the stiff sheets disturbed by his movement was loud and harsh in the quiet. *everyone must have gone home* he thought. He gazed out the bedside window to stare at the sunset with unseeing scarlet eyes. The desert sunset was stunning. Rosy reds and oranges filled his room with their warm and comforting touch. Outside, all the light touched turned to gold, making the city buildings seem to glow within its embrace. The steep angle of the light cast long shadows which contrasted the gold with deep purple. The sun was drooling and sniffing as it struggled to stay awake but it was a losing battle. Slowly, the shadows lengthened and the warm light was replaced with cool blue and purple. One by one, white stars emerged from the velvety sky to flicker with the light of hope. The sun finished its decent below the distant mountains and was replaced with the smiling sinister moon whose feathery silver light became Soul's only companion.

Soul watched in silence, feeling trapped in his own mind. He wondered what Maka, Black*Star and the others were doing now. He broke the silence with a loud sigh. There was no denying it, he was lonely. He hadn't felt this lonely since before he came to Shibusen; since meeting Maka. Just thinking of her seemed to lighten his heart. When she was happy, he felt happy. When she was sad, he felt an intense desire to fix whatever was upsetting her.

Feeling this way was strange to Soul and he honestly didn't want to think about it but here, alone in a silent room with nothing to distract his mind, he no longer had a choice. He was faced head on with the fact that he liked Maka. Maybe more than just 'liked' but that felt like a good starting point for now. How could this have happened? All he wanted was to leave his old life behind and his perfect plan to do just that had backfired epically in his face. In fact, it had almost gotten him killed, twice now. What was most disturbing was this fact didn't bother him. If faced with the same situations again, he's do the exact same thing without hesitation. Disturbed and lonely, Soul tried to ignore his taunting thoughts and get some sleep.


	4. 4

"What is WITH her?!" Soul fumed as he stormed through the lamp-lit streets. He kicked the nearest brick wall in an effort to alleviate some of his frustration but was rewarded only with a sore foot. Ever since Italy, things between them just hadn't been the same. She was distant when they were together and every time she saw his scar, she would become depressed.

It kept getting worse from there. A few weeks later, just after he had left the infirmary, she ran out alone at night yelling something about witches. He ran after her, afraid that she would do something stupid without him and get herself killed. For a few terrifying minutes, he couldn't find her. The city was still, completely silent except for the sound of blood pounding in his ears. He paused for a second and was about to call her name when he heard her voice. She was close. He ran following the sounds of her conversation. He rounded a corner and was relieved when he caught sight of her. He called out to her as he jogged to her side.

"Maka! You shouldn't run off on your own! It's too dangerous…" She met his gaze but didn't say a word. She slowly reached out a hand and placed it on his chest right over his newly healed scar, hanging her head as she did.

"Hey? You ok?" Soul asked but again, she told him nothing. Instead she turned to Stein.

"Professor, I know what I have to do now, to make us stronger."

"Oh you do, do you? Then come by my office tomorrow morning for a special lesson."

The lesson had been a complete waste of time. All Stein told them to do was insult each other! He had assured them there was a good reason but Soul wasn't buying it. What was worse was that this stupid lesson had a huge risk. If they didn't pass, they may never be able to sync soul wavelengths again. Soul never wanted to consider such a possibility let alone risk it as an outcome, but Maka had deeply hurt him by not only agreeing to it but completely ignoring his concerns and treating him like an object. She had never treated him that way before. Sure he had seen other meisters and weapons with master-servant relationships but one of the things he loved about Maka is that she never treated him that way. Was that changing now too? Hurt quickly turned to anger causing him to take up Stein's offer to insult her quickly. In hindsight, that probably wasn't the best move on his part, but he desperately wanted to hide the hurt behind his cool, uncaring persona. Predictably, this had made things far worse.

Now, hours later, Maka still hadn't cooled down. She barley spoke to him and when she did, it was only in short, quick jabbing remarks. She even refused to make him any dinner even though it was her turn to cook. He had left her there, telling her curtly that he was going out to get food before slamming the door behind him. He hated treating her that way but he just didn't understand. He had practically given his life for her and THIS is how she repays him?! This wasn't what he wanted. He knew he should regret his actions after all this but he didn't. He would never do anything different, even if she hated him forever for it. These thoughts didn't help his anger.

"HIYA SOUL!" The sudden appearance of a very loud and familiar voice frightened him half to death. He stumbled instinctively away from the voice then straightened to see who had called him, a hand clutching his pounding heart. Shinigami-sama's image confronted Soul from the dark glass of a closed store. The death god tilted his head to the side as he studied the shocked scythe who stood blinking back at him.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Soul recovered slowly but did eventually bow a greeting.

"Good evening Shinigami-sama. I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting your call."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't. I needed to tell you that you and Maka are needed for a mission in London and you two need to leave as soon as possible. Black*Star and Tsubaki will be joining you. I already took the liberty of informing Maka, she should be ready as soon as you get back."


	5. Chapter 5

The winter night was cold and bright in London. The normally bustling capital was silent and still except for the occasional whisper of a winter's wind, all its people huddled in their homes against the bitter cold and dreaming of spring. The glow of the city lit the low blanket of clouds and bid a warm welcome to fresh snowflakes as they danced silently above the buildings.

London Bridge was stunning coated in ice and fresh snow. The false dawn of the city completed its frigid beauty with a halo of soft golden light. Fragile crystals of ice clung to Soul's snowy hair; blending in with the white and making it look fuzzier than normal. Every now and then when his attention was drawn to the fresh flakes he would shake his head irritably. He hated the cold. More accurately, he hated being cold but what he hated even more was the silence between his partner and himself. They had hardly even looked at each other this entire trip. When they did, they would just glare and look away with a huff. *Damn it! When is she going to stop being so damn stubborn and apologize already?!* Soul fumed to himself after another round of 'glare at your partner'.

"It's because you're weak. If you were stronger she wouldn't treat you like this." A voice whispered in his head. After his encounter with Crona, somehow he had acquired a parasite he had 'affectionately' named Oni. This red devil had haunted his dreams for over a month and he seemed to have chosen now of all times to pester his conscious thoughts as well. If Soul was completely honest with himself, Oni scared him to death. He always pestered him about being stronger and giving up sanity which wasn't so bad in of itself. What truly frightened him was the red menace' hints that he was a danger to Maka. He was scared of losing Maka, so, in a way she was right; he was scared of getting stronger.

Soul was brought back from his thoughts when Tsubaki seemed to notice the awkwardness between the pair. In a small attempt at lessoning the tension she tried to make small talk while Black*Star went on and on about his greatness as usual. Eventually, Black*Star did express interest in their mission and asked Maka if she sensed any souls nearby. She did sense one but they might as well have just looked it was so close. A man materialized from the shadows and snow in the middle of the bridge.

He was a very large man, dressed in cliché prison garb complete with ball and chain. What really caught the eye was the right half of his face. On this side, he had no eyebrow. In its place was a tattoo which read "no future" in tall, thin letters. Below this unique tattoo was what appeared from the distance to be a large, milky white eye.

"What's with this guy…" Soul heard Maka mutter making him look towards her in curiosity, "His Soul's all messed up. I can't tell if he's Human or Witch People or what…"

"I DON'T CARE WHO OR WHAT YOU ARE. THE GREAT BLACK*STAR WILL TAKE YOU DOWN! Tsubaki! Demon Blade Mode!" Tsubaki objected at first but Black*Star talked her into it with little effort like he always did. At first, it looked like they were doing well. They even managed to block one of the strange man's ice spells but just as he was about to land a blow, Black*Star passed out. While the man was distracted by Balck*Star's most recent failure, Soul took the opportunity to attack, burying a bladed arm deep into the larger man's chest.

"You shouldn't let your guard down in combat." Soul smirked.

"Ya, because of my nature, I do tend to relax…" The stranger replied cryptically.

"Soul! RUN!" Soul heard Maka cry. After a moment's hesitation, he withdrew his blade and retreated to Maka's side. Even if they were angry with each other, he knew this was where he belonged.

"What is going on?" Soul wondered aloud while Maka stared wide-eyed at the stranger.

"Look!" She gasped out and pointed at the man. His wound was steaming in the cold, white mist shifting lazily in the air slightly obscuring Soul's view of the wound he had made. He couldn't be sure, but it appeared that the hole was getting smaller.

"Yes, they do that." The man said, answering the unasked question. "They always close up. I am Free, a member of the Immortal Clan. I'll show you my true shape!"

"He's a Werewolf! I can't believe they actually exist! Plus, I'm sure he's the one who stole the Witch Queen's eye!" Maka cried as the werewolf before them began to change shape with an ear-splitting howl. She called to Soul for him to transform. He did as she asked but no sooner had she caught him than she cried out in pain and dropped him into the snow.

"Maka?! What the hell?!" Soul yelled, sounding harsher in his own ears than he had intended. Maka stared at her hands, eyes wide with shock.

"You… burned me… I can't…. hold you." She said quietly, voice full of disbelief. Soul transformed back just in time to here the werewolf start babbling some nonsense about rules and Shibusen or some such crap. He didn't really hear him because he didn't care. The only thing on his mind was the horrific reality that he and Maka could no longer match their soul wavelengths.

He didn't have long to dwell on this. What happened next occurred so quickly he had no time to react. Before his eyes, Maka was attacked. She was thrown back with a crushing blow into a newly materialized ice pillar. Free followed up the attack almost immediately with a terrible blow from his ball and chain. Maka moved out of the way just in time. The iron ball collided with the ice pillar, shattering it to pieces and sending the shrapnel into Soul and Tsubaki. When Free tried to deal the finishing blow with a move called 'magic eye cannon', he accidently impaled himself on one of his own ice spikes. This didn't end the fight but it did buy the teens some time to rethink their approach. Maka couldn't wield Soul but she could use Tsubaki and Soul could fight on his own.

It didn't go well from the beginning. No matter how hard they tried they couldn't do any real damage to Free. Their attempt ended when Free landed some decisive blows on Maka, leaving her unconscious face down and bleeding in the snow. Soul and Tsubaki called out to her and dashed to her side. She didn't move at first but she did eventually regain consciousness. As she sat up she demanded for Soul to transform. He protested but eventually obeyed. Maka attempted to wield him inspite of her burning hands but it didn't go any better than their previous attempt. Free beat them like a drum and tossed them aside like mildly annoying insects.

Maka, now overflowing with anger and frustration, started to yell at Soul again. Soul yelled back, not helping the situation or his feelings of frustration. They continued to bicker like spoiled children until Tsubaki took it upon herself to end the argument. The tender-hearted weapon's harsh words left both feeling more than a little ashamed of themselves. They were quiet for a few moments then, through her soul, Soul could here her say in a small voice, "I just wanted to be as strong as Soul. Now I want to get stronger with Soul."

"Baka, I'm not even that strong." He said with a smile. Slowly, the old familiar warmth between them returned. *We can do this*.

Together, they attempted Soul Resonance. As the technique grew in power, the Black Blood started to take over. Soul felt his reason begin to slip away. All this thoughts and fears where being drained from him and channeled into a pit of darkness. Just before he lost it completely, Soul realized what was happening and reigned himself back in. He encouraged Maka, who seemed to notice his close call, while making a mental note to be more cautious in the future.

Together they managed Witch Hunter then Maka lunged forward attacking Free and landing a blow on his tail. He pushed it back causing a deadlock. Maka kept pushing and screaming a kind of savage war cry until they broke through the Tail Wall and landed a definite blow across the werewolf's chest. Finally they were getting somewhere!

Suddenly and seemingly without thinking, Maka threw Soul aside and lunged at the fumbling werewolf, screaming curses at him all the while. Soul felt his blood freeze. Was she out of her damn mind?! She was going to get herself killed.

"Maka!" He cried after her as he transformed. The vision that confronted him next stopped his heart and time itself. Maka and Free's momentum had carried them over the edge of the bridge.

"M-MMMAAAAKKKAAA!!!" He screamed as he ran forward. Maka and Free seemed to fall slowly as Soul willed his legs to go faster. Time slowed to a crawl as Maka vanished from view. Soul's heartbeat was loud in his ears; it almost drowned out the sound of his feet pounding on the snow beneath him but didn't make his thoughts any less clear. *She's gone?! I-It can't be! Why would she do this? Why wouldn't she let me protect her? How could she leave me like this?!* Horror, anger and sorrow swirled together in his chest, each fighting for his attention and weighing down his feet. After what felt like an eternity, he reached the edge. He had every intention of throwing himself over the edge after his meister. After all, his life held no meaning to him if she was gone. Then he saw her. She was still within his reach if only just. Acting instinctively, he grabbed her ankle then reached for anything solid to grab ahold of. Miraculously, his hand wrapped around an iron bar halting his meister's plummet to her death.

"Soul?!" She gasped up at him, making relief flow through his body at the sound of her voice.

"Heh, I guess you're not as heavy as I thought." He said, attempting to keep his cool persona and hide how shaken he felt. Suddenly, she cried out in pain as she became at least three times heavier. Free had hooked her side with ice claws, swearing that if he fell, he'd take her with him. Soul strained against the added weight. His arm shook and the iron bar groaned in complaint. *M-Maka… I will never… let you go* He thought with determination as he fought back the pain.

As suddenly as the extra weight had appeared, it disappeared. Somehow Maka had been freed from the werewolf. Black*Star's obnoxious laughing carried in the air followed by a haughty,

"What would you do without the Great Black*Star!" Soul had never been so happy to hear from that idiot in his whole life. Black*Star continued to laugh as Soul carefully lifted Maka and set her back on the bridge well away from the edge.

"Are you ok, Maka?" Soul asked cautiously as he searched her body for injuries.

"Ya, I'm ok. Thanks." She answered. It felt great to be able to talk to her again. After all that had happened, he could hardly believe he had felt angry with her only an hour earlier. As he walked away leading Maka back home, he felt a small voice at the bottom of his heart assure him that he had fallen hard for his precious meister.


	6. Chapter 6

Soul Eater sighed as he set his head in a cradle made by his arms, allowing the warm breeze to lift his pale hair. Even though it was December, the night was still thick with heat left over from day. There was no humidity to speak of but the air still felt heavy. The Nevada Desert never experienced anything other than persistent, never-ending summer. The laughing sun cooked the parched sandy earth each day, no matter what the calendar may say. Soul enjoyed this aspect of his new home. It seemed to give a sense of permanence in a world were change is the only certainty. Despite his rough start at the academy and unexpected events, Soul was pleased with this new life at Shibusen.

Tonight, however, was stealing all his feelings of contentment as easily as a stiff autumn breeze strips leaves from a sleeping tree. Classical music drifted out the large double doors in gentle waves, attacking his final line of defense on the balcony. The sweet and all too familiar notes seemed to dance on the air, approaching to smother and drown him in nostalgia. He swirled his glass of punch in front of his face and gazed at the hypnotic motions of the dark fluid. Fate must really have it out for him, he mused. First it had mocked him with all that he had left behind when he had made his escape, then caused him to fall for the girl that was supposed to just be another tool to distance him from his past, and now he had come full-circle with this anniversary celebration. He hadn't even wanted to come but for Maka's sake, he thought he could handle it. Of course, he had been wrong. The whole atmosphere made him feel so uncomfortable he felt forced to abandon everyone and seek shelter on a balcony.

The irony was so thick and taunting it was making Soul feel nauseous. The food had looked and smelled delicious too. Shinigami-sama had really gone all-out for this celebration.

"I don't really like parties…" Soul stated the obvious out loud to no one in particular, allowing the sound of his deep voice to fill his ears, attempting to push away the suffocating music.

"Soul?" The sound of Maka's voice surprised him slightly but he managed to hide it and lazily turn his head to face her. She looked really cute tonight. Her hair was done up in almost the exact same way as when they first met. Her hair was a little longer than it was back then and its color was a little lighter thanks to all their training and missions under the intense desert sun. Delicate black flowers adorned the top of her loosely curled pigtails and the rest of her hair was left to fall elegantly passed her slender shoulders. The dress she wore was of a very similar style to her white dress too. This one also had spaghetti straps and a square cut to it but it was black. The simple dress ended in a ruffle by her calves as well but the ruffle on this dress was much more elaborate, sporting both black and white on delicate, flowing fabric. His face was perfectly neutral as he regarded her approaching him but inside he was glad that she had come. 

"Don't you want some food?"

"Nah, I hate waiting in line and I don't really feel comfortable eating while standing." Soul answered honestly even though it wasn't the complete truth.

"That's too bad. It's really good…" She said while popping a small tidbit into her mouth in a tempting fashion. Soul tried not to think about how sensual her actions looked and busied his mind with her plate of food.

"Give me some of yours then."

"No!"

"Selfish…" For a few moments neither of them said anything. Soul had resumed gazing out over the city but he felt less lonely now. After some time, Soul felt Maka's eyes studying him. He tried to ignore it at first, and then she spoke.

"Hey, Soul? Is there something worrying you?" Her sudden question took Soul by surprise.

"Why do you ask that?" He had been worried by his nightmares and the demon sure, but that was his business and he didn't want her to worry any more than she already did.

"You can talk to be about it if you want." She said with a smile.

"There's nothing to talk about." He lied. Maka stared him down with a calculating gaze. He could tell she didn't believe him but he didn't feel like explaining anything as of yet. Eventually, she stopped sizing him up, closed her eyes and heaved a deep, defeated sigh.

"Am I that unreliable as your partner?" She asked sadly. Maka? Unreliable? He couldn't help but laugh at her ridiculous comment.

"What? You just noticed?" He said sarcastically, trying to lift the mood a little. She misunderstood the sarcasm in his voice and started to hit him, but he didn't really mind. He loved teasing her like this, even if it was physically painful. He was careful never to do it in front of their friends (lest they suspect the truth), but the fire that flared in her eyes when she was angry or annoyed was what he lived for. Suddenly, something seemed to catch her attention making her stop beating him. She stood still for a moment but suddenly she turned to him, delight written all over her face.

"Hey!! You wanna dance?!"

"What?!" Soul was seriously shocked by this sudden request. What was even more shocking was the delight the idea of dancing with him seemed to give her. Soul was so shaken by her sudden bombshell he acted on instinct.

"N-no way! I hate that!" His response was admittedly more forceful than he had meant it to be but there was no arguing with Maka. She had decided this was what she wanted and she was convinced that he was good at dancing so she was not going to take 'no' for an answer. Just as she began to forcibly drag him out to the dance floor, Spirit made a convenient appearance.

"Maka! Dance with daddy!" For once, fate seemed to be smiling on him.

"That's perfect! Father-daughter time is important. Go dance!" Soul said pushing Maka towards the giddy Spirit. Before she could protest, Maka was swept away by her adoring father.

"Soul! Watch my food for me!" She cried back before she was out of earshot. Soul sighed with relief and frustration. It wasn't so much that he hadn't wanted to dance with her. It's just that dancing reminded him too much of his old life and he wanted to keep that life and his life with her separate. He was a little disappointed that she didn't put up more of a fight about dancing with her disgusting dad. Maybe she had just wanted to dance in general and it didn't matter who she danced with. A tiny tinge of disappointment passed through his heart as he turned back to the balcony and her plate of food caught his eye. * 'watch my food for me' she says. She really is a glutton* He thought darkly. He was about to look away when something strange about her food caught his eye. *That's odd. She doesn't like raw fish so why did she take the salmon? Oh…* Realization began to set in and a strange, but pleasant warmth began to fill his body from top to bottom. *Baka, you didn't have to do that* he thought as a small appreciative smile curved his lips. There was no helping it. He was touched that she had thought of him. *…thanks…thanks for the meal*.


	7. 7

Slowly they swayed back and forth together in time to the mellow jazz drifting from the old gramophone. The antique left a strange quality in the music, adding to the 1920s surrealism that seemed to dominate the Black Room. Soul hadn't really wanted to dance with Maka earlier tonight, but here in the Black Room of his soul away from prying judgmental eyes, he was cool with it. Plus, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

Just as the black room had given him a luxurious formal suit, it had clothed her in one of the most stunning dresses he had ever seen. It was jet black and long, falling all the way to her ankles to end in an elegant and dramatic ruffle. The dark, flowing and slightly glossy material followed her long curves and ended in a strapless cut just above her bust. Here, the silky material was replaced with a fine, sheer mesh that continued over her shoulders and to the neck. Her arms were accented with long opera gloves that seemed to be made of the same material as the majority of the dress and were joined to the rest of the gown with the mesh. Finally this singular and beautiful evening gown was completed with a huge, elegant black bow tied simply at the back of her hip.

Her hair was tied in elegant pigtails, secured with delicate black bows. At first glance her gown appeared to be made of a very dark silk but as the dress swayed under his hands with her body, it appeared to be almost a liquid or even made of smoke; like he could wave the material away if he so desired. He tried to ignore the feelings all this brought forth in his mind but he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it. He would even say he was enjoying himself, if it weren't for the circumstances they now found themselves in.

Once again they found themselves faced with the Demon Swordsman Crona and again, things were looking bleak. Soul would never admit it to Maka, but he was worried. Maka, however, didn't seem as concerned. In fact, she seemed rather contemplative and distracted like she was trying to recall an old memory. The silence was becoming difficult to bear. When he could take it no longer, Soul spoke.

"Why did you come here? Did you hear the Little Ogre too?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"I'm not sure. But now that I think about it, I think I might have heard it before in our fight with the werewolf." Said ogre cut in, confirming his fear.

"Yes, I defiantly did enter you too but I was forced out shortly there after. I'm not sure why…" Maka fell silent. Soul was relieved to hear that the red menace had been removed once but he felt like resonating like this again was simply risking too much. His concern found his voice and poured out of his mouth before he understood what was happening.

"You shouldn't have come here! Sure he left you the first time but there's no guarantee he'll leave you so easily this time!" he regretted his outburst immediately as Maka looked sadly at their feet, this action sending waves of guilt through his body. They were quiet for another few moments then she timidly began to speak.

"Hey, if we're resonating like this, you can tell what I'm thinking… right?" As her thoughts echoed distantly in his mind, Soul's worry reached a boiling point causing him to yell involuntarily.

"You want to use the Black Blood to get the same madness as Crona!!"

"…I knew you'd be mad…" She almost whispered. She was right, he was mad. He couldn't believe his ears. How could she even consider doing something so stupid! What if she never came back? What if he lost her forever? He couldn't bear the thought of losing her and was deeply angered and hurt that she would even consider taking that risk.

"I thought of it when I hit him with the Witch-Hunt Slash. If I get the same level of power as the demon sword, I might be able to grasp something. I might… I might be able to sense Crona's soul wavelength."

"It's too dangerous to try something like that on a whim! You may never come back!"

"I'm sorry but," She raised her head to look him in the eye and gave him a warm determined smile, "This is my conviction!"

Even in a situation like this, that smile never failed to bring warmth to his heart, but he still wasn't convinced.

"There's no guarantee you'll come back…"

"But it's worth trying, isn't it?" She was so adorable. There was no way he could refuse her and he knew it was hopeless to try. He took a deep, steadying breath then looked her in the eyes.

"Okay, fine I understand. I really like you Maka. It's you who decides anyway but no matter how far away you go, as your weapon I promise to bring you back!"

"Yes, that's the way." The silky, evil voice of the parasite was the last thing Soul heard before he was violently thrown back into reality. The madness was powerful and gave Maka incredible power; Power that seemed to equal Crona's. She stood a chance now but there was a major problem. The madness was almost too strong. Soul was fighting it with all he had but he could still feel his reason beginning to slip away. *Shit, I'm being sucked in too. If I can barley keep it back, how will I rescue Maka?*. New determination rose within as he thought of his meister.

"Maka…. I will never let you go!"


	8. 8

The earth shook violently knocking large rocks from their high perches to meet the tile flooring far below. Soul couldn't hear or really see anything from where he was, carried by Maka's side as she skillfully dodged crashing boulders and ran on quaking ground.

This trembling wasn't a good sign at all. Had Kidd and Black*Star failed? *Damn, we shouldn't have wasted so much time with Crona!* Soul fumed deep in his mind as he encouraged Maka to run faster, who made no attempt to respond but pounded her feet harder into the floor, willing herself to move faster while simultaneously trying to ignore her ragged breath and tattered, battle-torn body.

The air was growing thick with madness. The feeling was like a weight growing on Soul's chest making it hard to breathe. The weight seemed to float on the edge of thought, threatening to drain away all reason. Soul did his best to ignore it by focusing on Maka instead. He felt a stab of worry as he looks at his fragile meister. She had been injured in their fight with Crona. Blood trickled from the many cuts to drench her blouse and vest with messy red splotches then fall to the stone floor leaving a blotchy red trail. He felt concerned at the amount of blood she seemed to be losing but none of the wounds seemed to place her life in danger.

Screams echoed down the stone corridor drawing Soul from his thoughts. Another set of screams seemed to rise into the stale air and mingle until they were almost one, announcing that Maka and Soul were nearing their destination. Five bodies seemed to emerge from the shadows as they entered a huge, columned room. The room was truly cavernous and the feeling of cool nothingness was amplified to the point of causing chills by the sheer emptiness of the place. The floor was decorated with an image of three huge eyes turned on their side. Symbols and geometric shapes accompanied the eyes and all were drawn messily with what appeared to be long dried blood. The only thing in the lonely stone cathedral other than its stone columns was an alter located at the far end. The alter itself was gigantic in its own right but its impressiveness was mostly lost, dwarfed as it was by its surroundings. Maka seemed not to see her impressive surroundings. Her bright green eyes sparked with determination as they remained locked on the five people standing in front of the alter.

Soul recognized three of the figures to be Kidd, Black*Star, and Free. The fourth person appeared to be a witch with light blue hair. She was on her knees facing a truly frightening creature. It appeared to be human and at the same time it didn't. It was terribly lanky and thin, so much so that its joints seemed to stick harshly against its ghastly skin as if threatening to tear through. It seemed like it wasn't clothed at first but had long appendages like an insect. As Maka continued to run, Soul realized with a sickening shiver that what he had thought to be appendages were scarf-like wrappings that snaked around its stick thin body. The scarves were the exact same color as its sickly skin leading Soul to believe that they were made from the monster's own hide.

"Kishin!" Maka cried as she willed her ragged frame to move even faster.

It stood hunched over and face to face with the witch. They both screamed at the top of their lungs. The Kishin backed off and screamed some mad nonsense before breaking through the solid stone ceiling to make its escape.

Large rocks crashed all around them as the Kishin destroyed the ceiling. Seemingly undeterred by the danger, Maka lunged for the Kishin and managed to grab a trailing flesh scarf. The effect was immediate. The pair was violently dragged through the hole after Asura. Rocks and other debris bounced off the cool metal of Soul's scythe form. Maka gathered her senses quickly and thrust Soul's blade into the side of the impromptu cavern with all her might. Maka's grip was impressive. Sparks flew as Soul's blade was dragged upwards despite the rocks resistance. Asura was strong. They weren't even slowing him down but Maka still struggled desperately to stop him. All resistance gave suddenly as they reached the top, freed from the rocky cavern and thrown violently high into the air.

"Maka!"

"We can do this! We Have to!"

THUD. A falling rock struck Maka's head hard. Her body immediately grew limp, allowing the Kishin to escape her unnoticed grasp. Soul felt butterflies in his stomach as his body became weightless. They were falling and Maka was unconscious, unable to protect herself from the deadly fall. Understanding filled Soul to the brim. He knew what must be done and he was happy to comply. Quickly and smoothly he transformed out of his scythe form and reached for Maka. He wrapped his arms around her slender, bleeding body and pressed her firmly against his chest, manipulating their bodies so that he would hit the ground first. For the third time in his life, Soul fully accepted death if it meant keeping Maka safe. He loved her with all his heart. He would never let her die. Ever.

Soul felt a shockwave of pain as they hit the ground. Or at least he thought it was the ground. With a harsh cracking sound, whatever he had hit gave completely. Splintered wood flew everywhere as he dropped onto the contents of what obviously had been a wooden crate. Soft spheres flattened beneath him as they cushioned his body. Soul held his aching head for a moment then looked around to see what had saved his life. An escaped orange rolled lazily away in silent answer to his mental inquiry. He gave little mind to this miracle as he busied himself with Maka, checking her for injuries. Maka seemed to regain consciousness momentarily as she reached passed Soul for the Kishin Asura who was floating high over the city

"Kishin… must stop…" Her hand fell as she lost consciousness again. Soul smiled slightly, amazed by her determination. Gently he held her close in a loving hug.

"You did well, Maka."


	9. 9

The world had changed a lot in only a few short months. The Kishin Asura had been revived and escaped and few weeks later, Arachne had returned. Now Shibusen was at war with Arachnophobia for the first time in over 800 years, a war that wasn't going well; especially after their devastating loss in the Battle for BREW. Knowing that BREW was in the hands of Arachnophobia, things were looking particularly bleak.

Not all was bad though. Crona had been doing a trial attendance at Shibusen and he seemed to be fitting in well. Soul was pleased to find that he and Maka seemed to be getting closer despite the chaos. He felt that now he was closer to her than he was with any of his friends, even Black*Star. Soul put the last dish away and took off his apron. He glanced over at Maka as he walked to his room to change for bed. She was sprawled out on one of the couches and was silent. He assumed she was reading as was her nightly custom so he left her to enjoy her book.

A few minutes later Soul strolled out of the bathroom and into the living room to find that Maka hadn't moved. He approached her to say good night as was his recent nightly custom to find she wasn't reading as he had previously assumed. She lay across the couch in flannel pajamas with the back of a hand resting against her head as she stared intently at the ceiling, lost in deep thought.

"Good night, Maka." He said, hoping to break her from the trance. She didn't seem to hear him. She lay still as a statue, the world completely forgotten and had been for a while, judging by her stone cold cocoa on the coffee table. Concerned, he leaned over the edge of the couch, finally catching her attention when he spoke.

"Hey, what's wrong? You've been acting weird since you got home." Soul asked, trying to hide the concern in his voice.

"Ah… ah… yeah…" She muttered, still obviously distracted. Soul paused a moment.

"Did something happen?" He asked, not bothering to hide his worry this time.

"Yeah." She admitted as she slowly sat up. Soul turned away from her hiding his face and sat on the arm of the couch. He wanted to talk to her, find out what was wrong but he didn't want to risk his face betraying him, expressing emotions he wasn't ready to show.

"Is it better for me to not know?" He asked, feeling depressed.

"Yeah, right now it's a little… Tomorrow. I'll tell you tomorrow." Soul risked a sideways glance at his precious meister, allowing a scarlet eye to meet her yearning emerald gaze. He sighed and turned away again. He wasn't happy with her answer but he trusted her. For her, he could wait.

"No rush… Whenever is fine." He tried to say as nonchalantly as possible. "You should hurry up and go to bed too." He added as he left for his own room.

"Yeah. Goodnight." She called after him. He didn't look back. If he had, he would have seen the small, almost loving smile Maka wore for him as she watched him leave.

*

Soul yawned sleepily as he leaned against the stone walls of the dungeon-like "guest dorms". Maka had gotten them up earlier than usual that morning so she could visit Crona before classes began. Ever since the Kishin incident, they had grown very close and Soul'd be lying if he said he wasn't jealous of the bond Maka and Crona shared. Not that he really had any right to complain. Sure, he had admitted to himself that he cared deeply for his meister but he hadn't had the courage to tell her, at least not out loud.

He never was good with words, always preferring to let his actions speak for him. What tore him apart inside was that his actions over the last 18 months practically scream his love for Maka but she hadn't seemed to pick up on it… or she wasn't interested. To his dismay, her apparent interest in the Demon Swordsman added credence to the latter option. He had realized this about a month ago. It had pained him greatly but he didn't want to cause Maka any more pain or drama than was necessary, so he hid his feelings by playing the role of a silent but hopelessly devoted servant.

"Crona!!"

Maka's sudden scream shocked and dazed Soul. Within three long strides he was at the doorframe where something small and light collided hard with his chest.

"Crona! Crona's gone!" Maka shrieked into Soul's body from where she had buried her head. The fingers of her left hand twisted into the fabric of his orange t-shirt while her right hand was twisted into a fist and was driven repeatedly into his chest.

"Wh-What?!" Soul gasped, his mind still processing that it was Maka that had nearly bowled him over. He caught her tiny fist in his hand to stop her from pounding him with it (her boney knuckles hurt) and steadied her with his free hand on her shoulder.

"Crona's gone!" She repeated, her voice climbing another octave, "It's all HER fault I just know it! That bitch! I should have done something! I could have stopped this! I knew she was in contact with Crona but I… I didn't do anything!" Maka's voice dissolved into hysteric sobs.

"Calm down Maka! It's whose fault? Who was contacting Crona?" Soul asked.

"Medusa!"

"How is that even possible? Medusa is dead!"

"I don't know how but I saw…. I saw…. Eruka talking to Crona yesterday…. About orders from Medusa." Maka wailed before dissolving into more hysterical sobs. Slowly, her words began to sink in. *So that's what she didn't want to tell me* He wrapped his arms around her frail, shaking form and held her close. She didn't fight him. She even seemed to willingly accept his comfort. He tried to ignore the marked increase in his heartbeat.

"We need to report to Shinigami-sama."


	10. Chapter 10

Soul was impressed at how well Maka had managed to pull herself together and bravely report what she knew to Shinigami-sama. He was sure it was the Death God's assurance that they would find her lost friend that truly calmed her. Life continued on like normal but with a much more somber attitude. The gloom even seemed to have spread to Shibusen. The halls were eerily quiet but Soul attributed that to Tsubaki and Black*Star's absence. They had left on a temporary leave of absence and ironically they had left the same day as Crona.

Soul missed his friend but their leaving really seemed to affect Maka. Three of her closest friends had just happened to leave on the same night. She hadn't spoken much about it but Soul could tell she was depressed. To tell the truth, Soul felt depressed too. He couldn't say with honesty that he was sad Crona was gone. A small part of him felt glad. Not that he had any true ill feelings towards the timid pink haired girl-boy but he felt like he finally had Maka to himself again.

He loved teasing her. Poking fun at her small breasts and reading habits not only helped to hide his feelings but he got to see her eyes burn with the wild emerald fire he lived for. He had teased her light-heartedly trying to lift her mood but it didn't help. He didn't even get the reactions he usually got. Instead of yelling and/or Maka-chopping him into oblivion, she would look at him with sad eyes and leave for her room or the library with barley a word. *Oh man, this is sooo not cool*

So, Soul now found himself beside Maka before the extracurricular lesson reception board. He figured a mission would be the most sure-fire way to take her mind off her depression. It seemed to be working so far. At least, she wasn't sulking anymore. Maybe they would get a cool mission. Soul stood back from the board, giving Maka some room as she browsed the posted missions. Kilik was also there but Maka hadn't seemed to notice yet since she reached for the same mission Kilik seemed to be interested in. She finally noticed him when their hands bumped on the board.

"Ah, Kilik… You're taking this mission too? It's not suited for you, is it?"

Soul sighed to himself as he watched the two interact. He had time to kick off the wall he was leaning against and meander over to the board by the time Kilik handed the mission over to Maka.

"Hey Kilik, aren't you more suited for this one?" Soul asked, gesturing towards a posting that had caught his eye. Kilik's mood lifted as he read the paper.

"Ohh, this one's good. Hmm? There's something written on the back." Kilik flipped it over and studied the back. "It's Black*Star's signature. Did he plan on reserving this mission?"

"It does seem like one he'd take." Soul confirmed in an offhanded manner.  
"Black*Star…" Maka's small voice made Soul's eyes swivel back in her direction. Damn, he should have thought before talking! The casual discussion of the arrogant ninja had caused Maka's face to wilt again.

"It's so quiet without them…" She continued in a small, depressed voice; even Kilik fell silent, obviously troubled by her display of depression. Soul watched her with sadness in his scarlet eyes. He understood how she felt, he really did. He understood that her sadness had nothing to do with him but it was killing him that he couldn't seem to help. He deeply wished he could make her happy with his companionship the way she did for him but it didn't seem like that was enough. In fact, she seemed to take him for granted. Her continued placid indifference towards him did sting but it didn't deter him. He would always be beside her, even if she never noticed.

Maka took another deep sigh and glanced down at the paper in her hands.

"Huh? There's something written on the back of the 'factory' one too. 'Leave this kind of boring lesson to Maka. From the strongest, The Great Black*Star!' " She read allowed, a vein throbbing in her forehead as she finished. She glared death at the signature for a moment then she stomped over to the woman at the reception desk to take the mission.

"She sure hates to lose…" Soul sighed as he watched her controlled conniption.

"Let's go Soul! We are going to complete this lesson!" She announced as she stomped passed her devoted scythe without so much as a glance at him.

"Then let's go invite Kidd's team…" Soul suggested as he fell into step behind his meister, waving back at Kilik as he left.

*

Siberia, the land that never thaws, positioned far to the north in Russia and the location of their current mission. Soul found himself in this huge expanse of frozen wasteland with Maka, Kidd, the Thompson Sisters, and, for some reason, Blair. Thick fog turned the air white and cloaked whatever was clinking and humming deep within its core. Occasionally, a frigid gust of wind would lift the heavy veil providing the teens with a brief glimpse of a huge structure. An 'abandoned' factory sprawled before them. It felt particularly foreboding, its many dark grey towers and buildings cast as they were in deep shadow. It was partitioned into many buildings yet maintained a strange feeling of unity, as if it was all one large organism. This strange feeling of life was severely amplified by the mechanical heartbeat and steamy breath rising from the small city.

"This factory is abandoned, right?" Kidd asked in a hesitant voice. He was beginning to feel like he may have gotten the wrong information about this mission and the perfectionist hated going into anything without accurate Intel.

"Ya, and supposedly no one has come or gone in over six years" Was Maka's succinct and thorough answer. Soul expected nothing less from his bookworm. 

"Even though there's steam… and mechanical noises…" Soul added, trailing off as the mesmerizing steam caught his eye with hypnotic boiling and churning in the frozen air.

"Maka, do you feel anything?" Kidd asked

"Not yet…" She turned to gaze up at the nearest tower, "Let's start by going inside." She moved towards the nearest gap in the wall, an old, rusted ventilation shaft. She was just about to climb in when…

"WAIT!"

"What Kidd? What is it?" Maka asked the young Shinigami.

"Are you really going to enter through there?" Kidd asked the blonde with a look of disgust on his face. Maka nodded. "Don't joke around! How is THAT an entrance? It's just a vent!"

"I don't know…" Maka answered his rhetorical question. She was feeling more than a little stunned at her friends sudden outbursts and resistance. "I guess there are many other places we could enter from."

"In that case you guys go on ahead. We'll find the proper entrance to enter through!" He responded with a little too much delight.

"Ugh… what EVER. Let's go Soul." Maka said, voice dipping with exasperation. Soul climbed into the rusty vent behind the miffed meister. He thought she should have known it had to do with his OCD but he had hoped too that Kidd would be able to put aside his little issues long enough to get through one mission. He had only suggested inviting Kidd and the Thompsons along because he felt it would be good for Maka. It wasn't like he needed their help after all. He was too cool for that but still he had allowed himself to sacrifice a few cool points to cheer up his meister. It was just his luck that his plan would backfire this spectacularly. Not only did it not cheer her up but now she was mad as if to rub in that his poor cool points had died in vain.

His mental mourning of coolness was rudely interrupted by the vent creaking and groaning loudly. It was protesting the disruption of its long peace and seemed to be threatening to break. Soul was sure it'd hold but the creaking combined with the guttural mechanical echoes from deep within the 'abandoned' factory was sending chills down his spine. He didn't like the feeling the place was giving him.


	11. 11

Something wasn't right. Soul just knew it and it was more than just the obvious that this was not an entirely abandoned factory. There was something far deeper going on here. As soon as he, Maka, and Blair were out of the ventilation shaft, Soul shifted into his scythe form. He felt a little better this way since Maka had more protection with this arrangement; plus there was the bond. A special bond had appeared with their first Soul Resonance and had grown stronger each time. Since the battle for BREW, the bond no longer needed Soul Resonance to link their hearts. He felt her every time they fought together; emotions, concerns, even some of her thoughts were open to him. It almost felt as though they were one person when they fought together. He loved the closeness this new experience brought but was leery of it at the same time. It had occurred to him that if the bond was allowing him to feel her emotions then it was undoubtedly doing the same for her and there were some emotions he wasn't ready to share just yet.

Maka moved to begin her initial search, jarring Soul from his thoughts while Blair trotted happily by their side. It was clear no one had come or gone in at least a few years. The atmosphere was thick with rust and decay. The dials were frozen and all visible machinery was rusted and still, taken by death long ago. Despite the obvious death around them, a deep, rhythmic and automated harmony pulsed through the metal building like a booming heartbeat and steam hissed as it rose and fell like rasping breath. The feel of it all sent chills down Soul's spine.

"Maka, you still don't feel anything?"

"Nothing…" Maka responded, her voice full of obvious confusion. She peered around warily out of habit but at the same time, she seemed oddly relaxed. Soul assumed it was because nothing was being picked up by her Soul Perception. Instead of feeling relaxed, Soul felt even more distrustful. He didn't possess a 'soul radar' like his meister, but he could sense danger as well as the next guy and he was starting to wonder if her special abilities were dulling her instincts. He was so busy observing his meister, Soul completely missed the strange man behind them; alerted at the last second only by the creaking of pipes.

Maka heard it at the same moment and whirled around to a frightening sight. Pipes from the factory walls had awoken, slithering like metallic snakes as they propelled themselves towards the weapon and meister with frightening swiftness. It was too late to react. The pipes quickly twisted around the duo, firmly trapping them in darkness.

"Dachichichichi! On the first try. How easy."

Maka was shocked. There had been someone watching them the whole time and she never knew it, never felt their presence. She fought her bonds, trying desperately to at least free Soul. If she could do that, they may have a chance.

Soul felt Maka's surprise and fear. It echoed through the bond with disheartening clarity. He could feel her arm struggle against his handle but he knew it was no use, the pipes held him fast. The only thing they could do was wait.

"Pump pumpkin, Pumpkin!" A flash of light then and explosion assaulted Soul's senses followed by the feeling of cool ancient metal shredding and falling away with a groan.

"Don't take me lightly!" Blair chuckled as the room came back into focus. Maka faced their attacker. He was a creepy sight. Soul wasn't even really sure what he was. He floated a few feet above the ground and laughed insanely as he gawked at them with wide staring eyes. His head seemed stretched and his face molded into a permanent, unnatural smile, framed by dark blond dreadlocks contained mostly by a simple stained grey velvet hat. His skin was ghastly and his lanky body seemed loose and lithe like a long rotting corpse.

The phantom was dressed in what appeared to be a white, long-sleeved dress shirt. A red neckerchief held the high collar in place and over the shirt was a rough-looking green and black striped vest which was held tightly to his lanky frame with a wide yellow belt, held in place with what looked like two large steel rivets. Black, loose pants covered his upper legs and were tucked into filthy grey knee-high socks which ended in simple grey riveted boots. He hung there, laughing manically at them as they stared back. Eventually, Soul's repulsion of this… creature faded enough that he could think again. The same seemed to be true of Maka.

"So you finally came out. What are you doing in this factory?" She interrogated, hiding any hint of fear. The phantom continued to laugh as if he hadn't heard her but he did eventually reply.

"Kishin-sama has been revived. I've been waiting for this moment. Everybody is doubtful of themselves. Kishin-sama will wipe out all those doubts with a single light. I am the 'Flying Dutchman' a prisoner of insanity." The phantom spoke in a slow, deliberate voice as his head bobbed from side to side. Well, 'flying' was right but 'Dutchman'? *I guess when you're crazy you can be anything you want* Soul mused.

"You're a servant of the Kishin?" Maka asked, her interest piqued.

"This factory is the cradle of insanity and 'the clown' will raise his first cry here… The one who will give people their freedom… Now then, both of you from Shibusen…" The Flying Dutchman trailed off, tipping his hat in farewell as he melted into the factory wall.

"Wait!! You know the location of the Kishin, don't you!?" Maka cried after the Phantom Dutchman as she ran to stop him but it was too late.

"Prepare to be immersed in the terror of this factory." The Dutchman disappeared, leaving only this last message behind him to fade as he had. Maka placed her hand carefully against the spot the madman had disappeared through only to find the cold steel very solid and undisturbed. Another close creek caught her attention. She whirled around and looked up to see more pipes slithering rapidly towards them.

"Maka!"

"Yeah!" Maka called, signaling to Soul that she was ready to fight.

"Witch-Hunter!!" They cried together, slashing pipe after pipe with ease. More pipes took the places of their fallen comrades within seconds. Maka cut them down like wind through tissue paper but they kept coming faster and in greater numbers. Maka screamed in frustration and urged Soul to resonate with her further.

"Whirlwind Cutter!!" The last of the pipes fell before their combined might. A cry rose form somewhere within the walls and Blair squealed as a slash narrowly missed her. Soul chuckled a little at the unintended friendly fire. He was enjoying the power he and Maka possessed together and honestly didn't mind hitting the flirtatious feline for all the torture she put him through. However, Soul underestimated how much strain the whirlwind was having on Maka. Her power momentarily spent, she collapsed beside Blair.

"Just a little break…" She muttered from the ancient tile floor. Eventually she sat up again, holding her spinning head. Blair had run off in the confusion and she had no clue where the Dutchman was. As far as she knew, they were alone for the moment.

"You ok Maka?" Soul asked. She groaned in response, head still pounding.

"Where'd he go? He isn't coming out at all…" Soul muttered as he scanned the room.

"Can't you feel his soul wavelength, Maka?"

"I can see it for sure but it's somewhat dim. It seems like he's hiding in the steam…" She froze mid thought, something else stealing her attention completely. She spun to stare intently at a corner of the ceiling.

"What? Something else is coming out…" Soul gasped as something moved and was still. Whatever the thing was moved again and proceeded to disconnect itself from the factory wall. Soul's breath caught in his throat. He had never seen something so terrifying in his life.

"I am the Clown… the one who invites people into insanity."


End file.
